HST vote timing unchanged: Elections BC government, question, forward, members, staging

Guy

Questions are being raised about the timeline of the mail-in B.C. HST referendum, with postal workers are still off the job while MPs extend the debate on a bill forcing them back to work.

Late Friday, NDP members were still staging a fillibuster, saying the bill the Conservative government has put forward is anti-labour.

In this province, Elections BC began mailing out the voting packages June 13 in the expectation that they would be delivered by Friday.
HST referendum question

"Are you in favour of extinguishing the HST and reinstating the PST in conjunction with the GST — yes or no?"

But Canada Post locked out its workers June 14, leaving ballots in limbo, either stuck in the stalled mail system or in storage.

But so far, there has been no move to extend the July 22 date the referendum ballots are due to be mailed back by, according to Elections BC spokesman Don Main.

"At this time, no referendum date changes are being contemplated," said Main. "All the voting packages are printed. They are stored securely."

Unregistered voters have until July 8 to request a ballot.

As that date approaches, the acting chief electoral officer has the option of changing the schedule.

The vote count in the historic and binding referendum — according to the current timetable — is to be announced by late August.

A simple majority result will decide the issue.

Any delay in issuing the referendum result could also effect the timing of a possible fall provincial election.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/br ... erendum-postal.html

WTF???